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About Prayer: Forty Days of Practice

A simple yet profound guide to facilitate the instinctively human desire to pray.

We pray because we are human, not because we are religious. Something in our nature points beyond itself; something in us searches for and desires personal connection with God. Although communicating with our Creator through prayer is innate, the effective practice of it often feels just beyond our reach. This unique book guides you to pray in deeper and more authentic ways. The short prayers and thought-provoking imagery, interspersed with contemplative reflections and suggested practices, will stir, inform, and encourage you. The simplicity of the prayers and the aesthetic appeal of the images will inspire people in every facet of life, including those with no real religious background at all.

Praise

“Moments of prayer, meditation, and quiet seem rarer than ever before in these days of constant distraction, busyness, and noise. Finding those moments is difficult but necessary for our flourishing as humans. This simple but profound book has been one of our favorite tools in our search for God in the midst.”—Jay and Katherine Wolf, coauthors and cofounders of Hope Heals

“Just one page of Prayer could change your life. Deep, beautiful, and centered, this book drives us ever closer to being people who love God and love each other. Justin’s reflections show evidence of someone who has spent a lot of time journeying with Jesus, and Scott’s illustrations are worthy of meditation. This book has helped me move deeper into the presence of God.”—Matt Mikalatos, author of Good News for a Change

“Justin and Scott have compiled the most beautiful anthology of prayers and images, interwoven with suggestions for contemplation and spiritual practices. I’ve been using these words and pictures in my own devotional life for a couple of years. They have refreshed and renewed me. This book is a gift.”—Michael Frost, author of Surprise the World and Keep Christianity Weird

“McRoberts and Erickson are flip artists: they take what is commonly assumed or known and flip it in unexpected ways, all for the sake of greater authenticity and deeper wisdom. Their book Prayer surprises, interrupts, explodes, confronts, and inspires. I encourage you to take up their invitation for Forty Days of Practice.”—Mark Labberton, president of Fuller Theological Seminary

“Prayer by Justin McRoberts and Scott Erickson is a gift of a book. Its compelling prayers and captivating images resonated deep in my soul. Sacred in its sincerity and simplicity, Prayer is a forty-day path we can walk together to live out the spiritual truths that make ourselves—and our world—uncompromisingly whole.”—Sarah Thebarge, author of The Invisible Girls and Well

“In my home we have a special shelf where we keep sacred things of beauty. On the shelf are a few icons, seashells, the Book of Common Prayer, and this book, Prayer. Each person in my family—from children to adults—sits in quiet wonder as they flip these pages. This meditative and practical book brings together prayer, practices, and visual art to provide a feast for the soul. McRoberts and Erickson have created something beautiful, thoughtful, and mesmerizing.”—Tish Harrison Warren, priest in the Anglican Church in North America and author of Liturgy of the Ordinary

“With compelling art and thoughtful prose, this little book, Prayer, delivers big inspiration. In addition to personal stories and practical advice, Scott and Justin offer us a fresh path into daily contemplation that is as simple as it is meaningful. I already know I’ll be coming back to these pages again and again.”—Jamie Wright, author of The Very Worst Missionary

“My friends Justin McRoberts and Scott Erickson have prompted us to seek God with our whole selves in their book Prayer. I’m grateful for this invitation to prayer and urge others to accept it as well!”—Michael Wear, author of Reclaiming Hope

“Prayer empowers us to walk by faith and not by sight. In a world where death, oppression, and violence all too often feel like the final words, we’re prone to forget that prayer truly changes things. Prayer begets revelation, enabling us to see, name, and confess the brokenness within us and our world. Prayer then leads to repentance, which reorients our posture toward God and neighbor. This book prophetically uses art to inspire us to remember God’s faithfulness amid the darkness. It also structures prayer in ways that draw us simultaneously inward and outward, producing a more faithful witness.”—Dominique DuBois Gilliard, author of Rethinking Incarceration

“Scott and Justin’s book Prayer made it to the place of highest honor in our home: the bathroom throne. This is not a book you devour. It’s a book you savor. Each page contains a treasure…like chocolate truffles for the soul.”—Shane Claiborne, activist and author of Beating Guns

“Prayer is beautiful, reflective, and powerfully affecting. What Justin McRoberts and Scott Erickson have given us is not simply a book about prayer but rather an invitation to commune with the divine. Using art and words, they offer our minds and hearts fresh thoughts and themes to meditate on, to utter, to believe. This book is an experience, one that will inspire your imagination not just to connect with God but to engage the Creator as the creative being that you are.”—Matthew Paul Turner, author of When God Made You and When I Pray for You

About Justin McRoberts

Justin McRoberts is an author, musician, and retreat leader. He lives in Oakland / San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and two children.

About Scott Erickson

Scott Erickson is a touring painter, performance artist, and creative storyteller who mixes autobiography, biblical narrative, and aesthetics to create art that speaks to our deepest experiences. Scott lives in Portland, Oregon, with his wife and three children. For more information, visit www.scottericksonart.com.

Featured Videos

Justin McRoberts and Scott Erickson Talk about the Languages of Prayer

Product Details

128 pages | Published by WaterBrook

On Sale Date: Feb 5, 2019

Trim Size: 5-1/2 x 8-1/4

Carton Quantity: 24

Sneak Peek

Read the first few pages of Prayer: Forty Days of Practice.
A simple yet profound guide to facilitate the instinctively human desire to pray.
We pray because we are human, not because we are religious. Something in our nature points beyond itself; something in us searches for and desires personal connection with God. Although communicating with our Creator through prayer is innate, the effective practice of it often feels just beyond our reach.
This unique book guides you to pray in deeper and more authentic ways. The short prayers and thought-provoking imagery, interspersed with contemplative reflections and suggested practices, will stir, inform, and encourage you. The simplicity of the prayers and the aesthetic appeal of the images will inspire people in every facet of life, including those with no real religious background at all.

News

A simple yet profound guide to facilitate the instinctively human desire to pray.

We pray because we are human, not because we are religious. Something in our nature points beyond itself; something in us searches for and desires personal connection with God. Although communicating with our Creator through prayer is innate, the effective practice of it often feels just beyond our reach.

This unique book guides you to pray in deeper and more authentic ways. The short prayers and thought-provoking imagery, interspersed with contemplative reflections and suggested practices, will stir, inform, and encourage you. The simplicity of the prayers and the aesthetic appeal of the images will inspire people in every facet of life, including those with no real religious background at all.

Press Release

“Prayer is beautiful, reflective, and powerfully affecting. What Justin McRoberts and Scott Erickson have given us is not simply a book about prayer but rather an invitation to commune with the divine. Using art and words, they offer our minds and hearts fresh thoughts and themes to meditate on, to utter, to believe. This book is an experience, one that will inspire your imagination not just to connect with God but to engage the Creator as the creative being that you are.”—Matthew Paul Turner, author of When God Made You and When I Pray for You

Justin McRoberts and Scott Erickson believe we pray because we’re human, not because we are religious; that something in our nature yearns for a personal connection with the Divine. They also believe that, while religious tradition can be helpful, it can be a hindrance at least as often. With PRAYER: Forty Days of Practice (WaterBrook, 2/5/19), McRoberts and Erickson invite readers to explore a simple and fresh approach to spiritual practice in order to discover (or rediscover) the heart of prayer.

Prayer is truly a piece of art. McRoberts’s poignant and lyrical words paired with Erickson’s beautiful, contemplative imagery move readers toward a more deeply rooted and genuine prayer life. They interweave their words and images with meditations on the essence and nature of prayer, encouraging readers to tune into their own responses, emotions and thoughts as they read. Each of the six, long-form meditations is paired with a suggested practice: journaling, exercise, fasting, meditation, lament and intercession.

Ultimately, McRoberts and Erickson hope Prayer will stir, inform and inspire readers to join in an intimate and ongoing conversation with the Creator.

“The design of this book is an invitation to stop, listen, hear, see, recognize, and contemplate your life, the lives of those you love, and the presence of God in, through, and around all of it,” McRoberts writes. “It isn’t the format of this book that matters most. What’s happening in you is what matters.”

McRoberts and Erickson first self-published Prayer through a Kickstarter campaign in 2015, selling almost 15,000 copies before signing with WaterBrook & Multnomah.

For more information, visit www.waterbrookmultnomah.com.ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

JUSTIN MCROBERTS is an author, musician, and retreat leader. He is also the curator and host of The @Sea Podcast. He lives in the Oakland/San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and two children. For more information, visit www.justinmcroberts.com.

SCOTT ERICKSON is a touring painter and performance artist who mixes autobiography, biblical narrative, and aesthetics to create art that speaks to our deepest experiences. Erickson and his wife, Holly, live in Portland with their three children. For more information, visit www.scottericksonart.com.

PRAISE FOR PRAYER“Just one page of Prayer could change your life. Deep, beautiful, and centered, this book drives us ever closer to being people who love God and love each other. Justin’s reflections show evidence of someone who has spent a lot of time journeying with Jesus, and Scott’s illustrations are worthy of meditation. This book has helped me move deeper into the presence of God.” —Matt Mikalatos, author of Good News for a Change

“In my home we have a special shelf where we keep sacred things of beauty. On the shelf are a few icons, seashells, the Book of Common Prayer, and this book, Prayer. Each person in my family—from children to adults—sits in quiet wonder as they flip these pages. This meditative and practical book brings together prayer, practices, and visual art to provide a feast for the soul. McRoberts and Erickson have created something beautiful, thoughtful, and mesmerizing.” —Tish Harrison Warren, priest in the Anglican Church in North America and author of Liturgy of the Ordinary “Justin and Scott have compiled the most beautiful anthology of prayers and images, interwoven with suggestions for contemplation and spiritual practices. I’ve been using these words and pictures in my own devotional life for a couple of years. They have refreshed and renewed me. This book is a gift.” —Michael Frost, author of Surprise the World and Keep Christianity Weird

“With compelling art and thoughtful prose, this little book, Prayer, delivers big inspiration. In addition to personal stories and practical advice, Scott and Justin offer us a fresh path into daily contemplation that is as simple as it is meaningful. I already know I’ll be coming back to these pages again and again.” —Jamie Wright, author of The Very Worst Missionary

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